Author(s)

Date Approved

Document Type

Degree Name

Department

Psychology

College

College of Science & Mathematics

First Advisor

Angelone, DJ

Subject(s)

Sexual abuse victims;Self-esteem;Assertiveness (Psychology)

Disciplines

Psychiatric and Mental Health

Abstract

The purpose of this exploratory research was to identify whether intrapersonal factors, specifically sexual assertiveness and sexual self-esteem, would predict an individual's ability to detect risk for being sexually revictimized. A previously validated laboratory analogue (Angelone, Mitchell, & Carola, 2009), in which female participants are led to believe that they are engaging in a speed date with a man, was used to measure risk recognition. Additional measures were included to assess sexual victimization history and the intrapersonal factors. Of the total sample, 30.2% (N = 16) had no sexual victimization history, while 69.8% had some form of sexual victimization history. A series of one-way between subjects ANOVAs were conducted to examine differences between victimization history on risk recognition but failed to reach significance. However, the one-way between subjects ANOVAs examining differences between victimization history on intrapersonal deficits revealed that individuals who have been revictimized have lower sexual self-esteem than those who were never victimized or were victimized once. Finally, two factorial ANOVAs were conducted to examine the moderating effect of the intrapersonal deficits on victimization history and risk recognition but failed to reach significance. Future research implications are discussed.